Takaani Legends
by LimitlessKorra
Summary: Takaani is a 19 year old student at Seishin: an academy that strives to reconnect benders with the spiritual aspect of bending. When she escapes with the help of an air nomad, the academy is in an uproar. Along the way they discover many things, including a rogue firebender. But Takanni forgets to mention one thing: she's Avatar Korra's daughter and the academy's prized prodigy.
1. Chapter 1

**FULL SYNOPSIS:**

This is a story about Takaani, a 19 year old girl and student at Seishin, an academy located in the Earth Kingdom. Seishin strives to reconnect benders with the spiritual aspect of bending. When Takaani escapes with the help of an air nomad named Kavi, the academy is in an uproar. Along the way they meet and discover many things, including a rogue firebender named Maia. On their journey of self discovery, hiding, and secrecy; Takaani fails to mention to her new friends that they are not assisting just another student, but the academy's most important prodigy: the daughter of Avatar Korra.

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This is a work of three original characters with the appearances of previous, canon characters.

This is a work of fan fiction, written because the author has an abiding love for the works of AVATAR and LEGEND OF KORRA. The author will not receive any money or other remuneration for presenting the work on this archive site. The work is the intellectual property of the author, available solely for the enjoyment of A03 readers, and may not be copied or redistributed by any means without the explicit written consent of the author.

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I thought for sure nobody noticed my absence from class. I mean, really, why the hell would I need to attend a lecture about spirits? The Spirit World isn't my cup of tea. It never was, actually. I hated the Spirit World and frequently had nightmares about it. When the academy wanted to take a class trip I feigned illness and made one of the academy nurses stay with me until they came back.

When I heard a knock at my door I knew I was busted.

I looked into the mirror and kept my composure. My skin was relatively dark, a great indication that I had heritage in the water tribes. Not like that was really any surprise to me, but it was a dead giveaway to others about waterbending. I studied my features carefully, noting how heart shaped my face was and how small my green eyes were. Ah, there it was. Green eyes on someone from the water tribe? A lot of people would do a double take at that. I inherited those crystal green eyes from my mother, but everything else was straight out of a magazine for the water tribe.

My dark hair was twisted around my neck carefully, braided to a messy perfection that nobody (and I mean nobody) around here could duplicate. I've seen other students try, but trust me, they couldn't get to my level of hair braiding. It was cut short for the summer and I had pulled the rest of it backward like a ponytail.

Short hair always looks good on short girls, which is where I was. At 5 foot 4 inches, I was the shortest person I knew around here.

When I opened the door one of my instructors were there, the very instructor that I had deliberately skipped. I assumed because nobody came looking for me two hours after class ended, nobody really cared. Big mistake. "Yes?" I insisted.

He was a tall man with non-bending heritage, something everyone made fun of him for. But I didn't. "You weren't in class today."

It wasn't an assumption, or a question. A statement. I toyed with the edge of my tank top. "I know."

"Dare I ask why?"

I huffed loudly and started tapping my foot. "I didn't feel good and I decided to lay down." My eyebrows raised in challenge, knowing I was being quite a bitch. Oh well.

"You look fine now." He grunted, looking at my outfit. I was wearing plain cream colored clothing, a tank top and tight black pants. They were fighting clothes, something you would wear to a chi-blocking class. Busted, again. I was about to leave for chi-blocking class.

"Yes, and your point? I got better. I'll get to your class next time, but for now…" I quickly shoved my way through him, slamming my dorm room door with a lot of muscle. My instructor reached out to grab me by the wrist. I turned around and held back from punching him in the jaw, which I usually did when boys grabbed me without my consent.

"Your little fear of the spirit world needs to come to an end. You, of all people, should know its importance." He scowled, tone dark and warning. "Your mother-"

"Is not here!" I interrupted, staring into his dark eyes. They widened in surprise. "Do you really think I care? I'm not her, and I hate the spirit world. There's no law that says I have to like it." I tugged my wrist out of his clasp and he let me have it.

"You're right, but there is a law that says you have to attend your classes. Miss another one and I'm writing you up. Don't think for a second I won't." With that, he turned and stalked off. I stared after him, a great fire burning in my veins from our altercation.

When I showed up for chi-blocking class, I felt ready to beat the shit out of someone. My sparring partner was a girl named Miki, and I felt bad about what I was about to do to her. She handled herself well, but my skills were too great. Okay, okay, not bragging. It's true! I knew how damn well of a fighter I was, making up for everything else that I lacked. My chi-blocking class was my favorite; I was the top student and ready to advance to the next level.

She threw a hard punch at me, aiming for my left shoulder but I dodged and grabbed her by the back of the neck and slammed her against the mat. She was good, too. Miki reached for me from under and snagged my ankle. Foreseeing what she wanted to accomplish, I threw my body into an intense flip, using her as an anchor I had to chuck. Mimi's thin, but larger, body flung over my head and she slammed against the hard mat. Her eyes widened in surprise and she choked, an attempt to recover the air I had knocked out of her lungs.

I stood over her, sweat pouring down forehead and waited for her to make another move. "I don't," she rasped. "understand…why you're still..here."

I felt surprised. A bit. "Yeah, I know."

Miki got to her feet and shook her head. "You're good."

"So are you. Besides…I lack in 'spirituality' or whatever. The teachers around here act like punching someone in the face is equivalent to being able to meditate."

"Isn't it?"

I eyed her curiously, reaching for one of the towels that the instructor had lined up on the edge of the room. Around us people continued to sparred, and I realized that our sparring had ended quicker than most. Miki was a non-bender, and I knew that because only non-benders took chi-blocking. It was the substitute where, if we were a bender, there would be a specialized class in either fire, water, or earth. So why did Miki think fighting was the same as meditating?

"Both take a lot of strength," she continued. I was losing my interest in her fast. "You can't fight without a clear conscience."

Before I could reply, the instructor blew a whistle. I hurriedly grabbed my belongings and headed back toward my dorm before Miki could ask to eat dinner with me. It wasn't like I was antisocial, but I did not particularly like making friends with the academy. Not when I had something planned.

My mind had made a decision weeks ago, when I thought I would die if I heard one more person try to lecture me about spirits. I just didn't think being spiritual was the same as having hardcore ability to get what you wanted, with the passion to do it. I felt trapped here at Seishin, like I wasn't learning anything useful to my character besides how to spar (which I exceedingly could do, and more) but then kept me at the same level because I couldn't pass a test on why spirits and connection were important. I knew I was being petty, but there are no words to explain the way the academy can make you feel like you don't matter. Non benders were not forced to go to the academy, only if they came from families of high importance and felt as though the academy could teach them to be "like" benders.

I've been here since I was 15. That was 4 long, long years. And I couldn't take it anymore.

My mind whirled when I was back in my dorm, feeling sore at the ankle where Miki had grabbed me. I knew what I had to do, but I had no idea how I was going to do it. Another knock at my door jerked me out of my thoughts, and I swear, I almost ripped the door off the hinges. "What?" I hissed.

It was someone I didn't know. He was bald, but he couldn't have been older than me. In fact, he was pretty cute. I could see that even though he shaved his head there were still traces of dark fuzz that indicated his hair was brown. He had bright blue eyes and a polite smile that didn't show his teeth, but I assumed they were pearly white. The most interesting thing about him? He had a blue arrow tattooed on his head, and I knew enough to know what that meant.

"Y-yes"? I stammered.

"Hello!" He greeted me, nodding. "My name is Kavi. I'm the spiritual supervisor here, in charge of keeping track of the class material taught here."

I almost choked. This kid looked like he still attended the academy, if he weren't an airbender. The airbenders were trained at the assigned temples, so he must be pretty good if he was assigned at the academy. Or maybe he did something bad. "Oh." I said weakly. Shit. Was I in trouble?

"I was wondering if you had time to chat. I'm interested in some of the students' opinions about Seishin, and its ability to communicate the spiritual aspects of living connected through chi-blocking and bending." His tone was so important, so friendly, so...

Annoying. "I-I can't," I managed quickly. "I don't know much about that." Before I could close the door, he frowned. God, how could I turn down an actual airbender? It felt so rude. They were always nice.

"Oh. Okay, I understand." He sighed, turning back around. Ah, here it goes...what makes me so great. My sympathy, my pity, my inability to let anyone down. Well, wait. If this was an opportunity to rat the academy out about their need to push spirituality on people like me who would care less, this might change things. He was a supervisor, after all.

"Wait. Why don't you come in? I can help."

Kavi turned around, shocked. And also embarrassed. "Wonderful! But, actually, why don't you come with me instead?"

I felt a bit tired, sore, and sweaty. I really wanted to clean up in my dorm but I think inviting a supervisor into a girl's dorm was on the top of the list of the forbidden things here at the academy. I nodded anyway and followed him, stepping in stride with him while he walked. If he walked, that is. He almost seemed to float and, again, I felt a bit shy around him. Airbenders were notoriously skilled, and they trained at their own temples because there was never any actual need to attend an academy like Seishin. They were also super spiritual, which frightened me. He had the ability to literally project his own soul, right? I shivered.

Kavi looked at me. "What's wrong?"

"What? Nothing."

"I can sense your unease." He replied honestly. "It's okay, just relax."

I gave him a sharp look. I wanted to snap at him and tell him I was relaxed, but instead I shrugged and looked forward. He took me to one of the open yards we had here at the academy, usually for study sessions or hanging out. Right now it was abandoned, probably because classes were still commencing and the only people free were non-benders. The airbending master took a seat in the grass facing away from the school and I balked when he sat cross style. He was wearing traditional airbending robes, but it was so sunny and hot out I wondered if he would get overheated. I kneeled down beside him. "Okay, shoot."

He turned to me, smiling. Where were his notes? This was, like, a survey right? "What's your name, firstly?"

"Takaani." I answered.

That pleased him. "Thank you. And how many classes here do you take pertaining to the spirit world?"

Ones I took? Or ones I attended? One number was higher than the other. "I take two classes."

"Does that include spirit creatures that live in the spirit world?"

"That would make three classes."

He nodded, and closed his eyes. "What do you think of these classes?"

"They're..." I struggled for the right word. Do I tell him that I hated them? That the Spirit World scared the hell out of me? That I hated it? I decided not to play coy. "They're my least favorite."

He opened his eyes again, resting their blue gaze on me. "Oh? Why so?"

"I just don't like them. I feel forced to take them, even though I do the worst in them. I am better at physically fighting and I'd rather learn about the Fire Nation or Water tribes instead of the Spirit World."

At first I thought he was going to scold me, but he merely nodded as though my opinion actually mattered. Like fighting and spirits actually weren't the same, despite what everyone else had been insisting. "Have you been to the Spirit World?"

The breeze picked up, blowing my hair around despite its braid. Did it make a difference if I was there or not? "No."

"Tell me, what elements do your parents specialize in?" He asked suddenly, regarding me with curiosity that I was sure had nothing to do with his little survey. I grew wary.

"Water and a non-bender."

"Your mother the waterbender?"

"And the non-bender."

His eyebrows shot up. Gotcha! "Both?"

"I have two moms." I explained quickly, but my tone was tight that I didn't want to talk about it. Not that I was ashamed, I just hated having to explain how two moms had a kid. A lot of people didn't think it was possible, but Kavi's expression told me that he knew it was.

"I see." He said politely. He closed his eyes once more. "Any final thoughts? Or questions?"

I thought for a second, then decided to be daring. "How old are you?"

Kavi didn't open his eyes. "21." Damn. That was only two years older than me.

"And you already work here?"

"I work for the Nomads that sent me here. Particularly my instructor. I took her place because she was busy."

Oh. Of course. Air nomads weren't just cattle you can raise and ship away. They worked for themselves and by themselves. I felt stupid, but I felt warmed by the breeze that was blowing. It was diminishing my fear, unease, and wariness. "When did you finish...school? Training?"

He opened his eyes now and smiled at me politely. "When I received my tattoos, you mean. I became a master bender at eighteen. Most do."

"Oh, yeah. They don't teach much of the nomads here." I said quickly, hoping he wasn't thinking I was prying. "What do you think of the spirit classes here? Do you think they help?"

His smiled faltered. "They don't send nomads here unless there's a reason," he pointed out.

That caught my surprise. Was the academy really under scrutiny? There was no way that I was right all along, that they were shoving spirit down people's throats and not actually touching on the important stuff. Whatever that important stuff may be. "So you don't approve?"

He didn't answer, but shrugged nonchalantly. I took that as a no. "You're free to go now, Takaani. Thank you for your time."

I nodded and stood, ready to finally - finally! - head back to my dorm to change and take a shower. Before I could get out of earshot I heard Kavi declare, "Takaani, you're unhappy here."

Surprised, I looked back. He was still facing away from the academy, and probably with closed eyes. "What makes you think that?"

"Sadness radiates from the soul, just as happiness does."

I didn't answer, only turned back and kept walking.


	2. Chapter 2

It had been several days since my encounter with the air nomad and his weird survey. I hadn't seen him around the academy, and was starting to believe that he might've took my opinion and ran off with it. I decided that it was best to just let it go. Getting my hopes up that someone might actually stop pushing spirits on me was dangerous. Nobody cared.

My hair was in its usual braid and I was wearing traditional water tribe clothing; a long, dark blue and short sleeved dress with a slit that started at the knee to expose my legs. Underneath I had tight dark blue sweltering heat of the Earth Kingdom didn't allow any room for parkas. My boots were standard training boots, nothing fancy.

I sat down at the dinner table in the eating quarters and kept to myself. My head held low, I was certain nobody wanted to really talk to me. My meal plan for the day was some sort of noodle dish, the academy's idea of "water tribe" food. I knew it wasn't, because my mom was an expert at making real water tribe food even if we didn't live in the tribes itself. What was with schools and their bad food? Where did their money go?

"What, not your fancy?"

I jerked my head up sharply. In front of me stood Kavi, dressed in his traditional dark orange and yellow robes. Today he had styled it precisely to show off some of his broad shoulders and allow some breathing room for his skin. Understandable. "I…" I began, watching him take a seat across from me. Was this some sort of joke? I looked around and the rest of the students eating around me were busying themselves like nothing had happened out of the ordinary. I mean, really? I hadn't seen Kavi in days and all of a sudden he decides to appear - literally - out of nowhere?

"It's okay. I'm not the food supervisor." He teased lightly, folding his hands in front of him.

I smiled. "Yeah. What's up? Do you need something?"

"Actually, no. My duty is over but I need to stay here for a few more days."

"Then what? Back to the temples?"

Kavi pressed his lips together tightly, and it dawned on me that maybe he didn't want me to know. I could only assume that's where he was going to go once he was done here. Air nomads lived at home, and that was that. Only their senior masters really traveled to meet in the other nations.

"Sorry," I said quickly and honestly. "I didn't mean to pry."

He rested his blue gaze on me thoughtfully. "It's alright. I know you don't meet many air nomads."

I wanted to tell him that, yeah, most people don't. But I did. In a way, I was almost related to them. Or my mom was, sort of. Either way, I did meet quite a few air nomads. I was close friends with Avatar Aang's youngest grandchild, Rohan, who took on a big brother/fatherly role to me even though he was young. I think, now, he was probably twenty-six years old. Some of my earliest memories of him were of him teasing me with airbending. I left him when I was 15, and hadn't seen him in four years. That made me a bit homesick and sad. We got along great.

I couldn't say that to Kavi, though. "Yeah, too bad you guys don't come to the academy," my voice was think with sarcasm. "It's a blast!"  
He smiled (and I was right! His teeth were pearly white!), reaching up to scratch his shaved head. "I like the temples. I come from the Southern Air Temple, actually. It's nicer there….better air. It's too dry here." His nose crinkled.

"You're right. An earthbender's dream." I agreed quickly. "The academy is full of them."

"Earthbenders have a harder time connecting to their element because of its…hardness. They prefer brute strength. Like you."

"Are you saying I should be an earthbender?"

"Not exactly. You have a lot of those qualities. Waterbenders are usually more flexible and everchanging, not hard."

Now it was my turn to crinkle my nose. My smile was tight and I said, after a moment of silence, "I'm not a waterbender."

Kavi stared at me, dumbfounded. I guess he just assumed from my clothing and my position at the academy. But I took chi-blocking, not waterbending.  
"Interesting. I could swear.." he trailed off, squinting at me. Well, not at me. But around me. Like I was fuzzy or hard to read.

I cleared my throat to get his attention. "It's alright. One of my moms is a non-bender. I must've caught it from her. No shame in being a non-bender, right?" My tone was flippant, but something told me Kavi wasn't buying my attitude.

"I suppose." he said quietly, turning to look out the eating quarter's large window.

I didn't know what else to say to him, so I changed the topic. "Is your survey done?"

"Oh, yes. I got many student opinions." When I didn't say anything, he continued. "I think the academy has an ordinary, expected view on spirits and the spirit world. After all, the spirit portal in Republic City is relatively new. Just almost thirty years old. People still haven't really adjusted."

"After all this time?" I scoffed. "They need to get a reality check. That spirit portal isn't going anywhere and spirits are important, too."

Kavi smiled. "I thought you didn't like the spirits, Takanni?"

"I don't." I defended myself quickly. "I just.. I'm uncomfortable around them, and I shouldn't be forced to actually go into the Spirit World if I don't want to. But they are important, and the portal is too. I think people should have choices."

"Nobody is being forced to go into the Spirit World," Kavi said darkly.

"Here they are. Seishin makes it a mandatory trip. Which is what I'm saying, people need choices."

"Well, did Republic City have a choice?"

"What?"

"A portal just opened itself in their city and they couldn't do anything about it." He pointed out.

I blanched at that. That was different. Avatar Korra had been saving Republic City and a spirit portal emerged by accident. It wasn't like spirits were living in the city anymore. At least, I didn't think so. I started to get a headache over thinking on where I stood in the conversation. I didn't like spirits, I didn't want them walking around town, but I didn't want people protesting against something so permanent like a portal.

I huffed, and Kavi took it as cue to leave. He stood and gave me a warm parting wave. "See you around, Takaani. I need to go."

I finished off my crappy noodles and went back to my dorm.

I had a late class later on Spirit World geography and I wasn't looking forward to it. All throughout the lecture I had to listen to people brag about how they climbed Hai-Ryo peak in less than an hour. One water bending boy in my class piped up, "The Spirit World is amazing. I went through the Republic City portal and came out in the North Pole."

Well, good for you. I didn't find it highly amusing, but my classmates did. An earth bender girl scoffed when another girl made the claim that non-benders could bend in the Spirit World. "You've obviously never been there, barren."

I flinched. Barren was a dirty term used against non-benders to signify that they really didn't have a right to bending lifestyles. It was an idiotic, prejudiced thing that only - well - idiotic and prejudiced people used. I decided to speak up. "Don't call her that."

The earth bender turned on me now. "Oh, what?" she sneered. "Seishin's little prize going to step in?"

I looked at her blankly, wondering what the fuck this girl's problem was. Honestly, I never understood the natural tendency to just be rude to other people. Who raised these kids? Her 'little prize' comment did not bother me in the slightest. I shrugged nonchalantly, looking back down to my desk and idly shuffling my books.

Seeing that I wasn't going to comment further, the girl continued in her snobby tone. "What a waste, right? Barrens don't belong in Seishin. They're only here because their families think that they are weak. Bending is true power."

I slammed both of my palms against the desk and stood slowly. My temper was rising stead fast, my eyes locking in on the earth bending girl with extreme disgust. True power? She knew nothing of true power! I knew true power that would make her head snap on her pretty fucking neck. " . .Me?" I hissed. The other students around her balked. If I wasn't so pissed off, maybe that would have made me smug. They all knew I could kick ass, bender or not. Whatever my past held, everyone still remembered how well I could excel at physically fighting.

She regarded me with a flicker of surprise and amusement. "Oh did that hurt your feelings? You're no barren, wolf girl, and we all know it. Too bad you had to go off and get yourself so fucked up that you lost-"

I'd heard enough. Between the play on my name (water tribe word Tikaani, the wolf) and her persistence to bring up something I didn't like to talk about, I threw one of my textbooks at her. The other students watched in horror as SPIRIT WORLD GEOGRAPHY VOL. 4 smacked her in the face. She recovered quickly, and I knew she had nothing on me. That was the great thing about being inside a classroom- you couldn't start chucking boulders at other students.  
You could, however, throw water. I didn't see it coming. A waterwhip-like move came from my left side and smacked me across the face. I recoiled by catching myself on one of the neighboring tables, hissing as the sting on my cheek throbbed. I couldn't waste any time. I spun and saw a boy - a really hot one, but what a dick - looking at me with a challenging grin. I strode toward and dodged his attempts to strike me with more water. Hah! Idiot! Using water on another person from the water tribe! I knew all of his moves, each coming back to me in the rush of combat.

He didn't, however, know mine.

I ran toward him head on but twisted and turned so that I was suddenly facing his side. With excellent grace and powerful muscle, I smacked him hard along the areas of his chi. It was standard chi-blocking; a 16 year old could take him down with these moves. He groaned, trying to maneuver his water to hit me once more. I stealthily continued to dodge until he captured my wrist in an ice freeze. Uh oh. He came toward me with his own fist. With my free one, I stopped his hand midair and used it to crack down on the ice on my other arm. He yelped with pain, but I was finally free.

I moved with great speed and slammed him into the desks, body aching as I mustered all my strength.

He was a tall and tanned water tribe boy.

I was a rather petite water tribe girl with a lot of rage.

It was too easy.

"Enough!" A voice rang out. "This is Spirit World Geography not a bending arena!"

I came to a halt and turned my neck to see that our teacher, Advisor Ryo-lu, was fuming. I was relieved that some sort of adult supervision had come to the rescue. I mean, I could only kick this kid's ass for so long. Patiently I waited for him to realize that I had just been attacked with water bending and verbally assaulted by two other students. My patience ran dry when I realized that he wasn't looking at the water bending kid or the earth bending girl. He was looking at me.

"Takaani, I suggest you head toward Counselor Siaki.. Right away."

Well, shit. If I knew that I would get in trouble for this mess I wouldn't have gotten into it in the first place. When I started heading towards the door I noticed that the non bender who originally got called a barren was staring at me with wide eyes and in those wide eyes I saw a glimmer of admiration. I nodded to her as I exited.

Counselor Siaki and I were great friends. Particularly because I had been in her office more times than I could count. Her title of Counselor stemmed from the fact that she ran the academy here, not just giving out advice to students in need. Her hair was a white blond and she kept in high on top of her head, her pale features striking me as an airbender more than the firebender that I knew she was.

Yes, I suppose it was a red flag that a Fire Nation native was running the academy when fire nation students did not attend it. The Fire Nation was in a league all of its own, and while the other nations now had armies and technology to match them- they still had their own training academies and schools where fire bending was taught by their most elite. They didn't need to come to an academy about spirituality, because fire bending had become so spiritual in the last twenty years it was amazing that they ever once committed genocide.  
Siaki regarded me with sharp eyes, but she seemed genuinely concerned when she asked, "Takaani..are you alright?"

I probably looked rather bruised and busted, and I could feel that my tight braid had come untidy. "Yes." I said hesitantly.

"Care to explain what happened?"

I told her in full detail and she sighed heavily when I was finished speaking. "Takaani, this needs to stop. Your desire to avoid anything to do with the Spirit World at all is rather disgraceful."

My eyes almost bulged. Was she seriously implying that I had thrown a book at someone's head just to get kicked out of class? I was not that low of a person. I was strong, not violent. Calmly I said, "Are you serious? As if I would allow myself to get another mark on my record for something so idiotic."

Siaki bit her lip. "I don't know what to suspend you from classes if you've already missed so much. Is…is the aspect of spirituality triggering to you?"

I looked away. She had no idea what was "triggering" to me. I had problems in my past and that was it. I had moved on. I took chi-blocking now, and I was good at it. I certainly did not need anymore pity parties about how pathetic people *thought* my life was now that I…. well, nevermind. I shrugged. "No. Not really. I just don't like it."

"And your mother had no way to help you at all?"

I began to fix my braid absentmindedly. "No. I didn't ask her."

"What? Why not? I would think she of all people would-"

"Because I haven't seen here since I came here. Neither of them," I added casually and cooly. It was true. I hadn't seen either of my moms since I was fifteen. Both of them were so caught up in their busy lives that they rarely had time to visit, especially the Earth Kingdom.

Siaki seemed to understand. "I see. Seishin can get into contact with your family if you would like. I understand you are legal of age, but your parents signed a contract that forbids you leaving until you are twenty-one."

Yeah. That damn contract. I didn't know anyone that didn't have parents trying to stuff them into an academy where they could learn about new, exciting information about bending and its connection to the spirits. Or where you could learn about the Spirit World from a brand new textbook. People had been bending for thousands of years without any sort of academy. Why did society think they needed one now?  
"I know, but.. well, don't say anything to them." I stood quickly, finishing off my braid. "I promise I am not trying to get kicked out of class. I just don't like to be made fun of. Or see other people made fun of."

Siaki brushed her white blond hair from the side of her face. "Very well, I believe you."

"Thanks. May I leave now, Counselor?" She nodded, so I did.

The hurt in my chest was hard to handle. I was tired of this academy, where people treated me like I was some sort of defected prize. The pity in Siaki's eyes. The rage in my advisors'. The ridicule from other students. I hadn't made friends because I knew this wouldn't be a place for me. It never would be. No matter how many textbooks they shoved at me, no matter how much they threatened me with write ups, I knew that I would never, ever be able to be taught how to spiritually connect myself to the world. It was something I was supposed to figure out on my own, like they did thousands of years before me.

I clenched my fists and wiped a tear from my eyes. Back at my dorm, I ripped a clean sheet of paper and wrote at the top "Do-List". Next to that, I wrote, "DAY OF EVICTION: JULY 30TH". 2 weeks from today.

My first item on the Do-List was not an item at all. It was a person. "Kavi".


	3. Chapter 3

I lay in bed that very same night I made my Do-List, thinking carefully over what I wanted to do and how I was going to do it. In fact, I had my mind made up so many different times that by the time my alarm went off I hadn't slept at all. Groaning, I reached over to slap my radio. Well, shit.

As expected, the day was hell. The only time my adrenaline kicked in was during my chi-blocking class where I had to practice more advanced levels of the technique. Anything physical came natural to me, but lack of sleep was lack of sleep. I had been partnered up with Miki again. I didn't really mind, but she (to my dismay) wouldn't go easy on me despite the bags under my eyes. She did, however, voice her concern. "Uh, Takaani.. you don't look that well."

I was wearing tight black pants and my usual beige tank top with my hair braided in the back. I looked the same as I always did for chi-blocking, but I knew better than to assume she was pointing out my clothing. She was pointing out my face. "That bad, huh?" I remarked, kicking a hind leg up onto her shoulder so that I could stretch. Miki's lips turned thin as though she were keeping herself from talking. She kept a firm grip on my ankle as I bent forward to stretch myself out. "It's okay, what's up? Say what you need to."

"I know what happened yesterday. In your geography class."

"Oh, that."

"Yeah. I mean, that was pretty sweet. I hate being called - well, you know - because I don't think I'm any less strong than a bender." Her fierce eyes blazed down on me.

I suddenly felt uncomfortable and I didn't know why. Was it because I was being congratulated on something so stupid? Actually, no. It was stupid to me but not to many others. Barren was such a filthy word, meant to degrade and discourage. Nothing else. I shrugged nonchalantly, dragging my ankle down and repeating with my other leg. She held on firmly. "Things spread quick around here."

"That's true. Especially when it was your little sister who was the one being picked on." She gave me a weak smile.

I froze. "That was your sister?" I dragged my foot down and let her put her own ankle on my shoulder. My fingers gripped it firmly.  
"Yes," Miki said carefully. "She told me right after. Especially how good you were at fighting. She said you used chi-blocking moves on him without actually removing his chi."

"Well, part of me wanted him to keep fighting with water. Get some of my anger out but still let him has his bending."

And with those words I braced myself for the usual whenever I mentioned water, or bending in general. I was expecting her to look at me with glazed eyes and sympathetic smile, but instead she nodded in understanding. "That was almost nice of you. Not many benders know what it's like to fight without their element." She dropped her leg and smiled mischieveously. "It's almost cruel to take it away from them. They wiggle around like legless caterpillars."

I laughed at that. Miki was actually really cool. How long had she been my sparring partner? And how long had I kept her at a safe distance? "Do you want to eat dinner together tonight?" I asked bravely, remembering how not too long ago I was hurrying out on her without a second glance.

Miki nodded. "Sure."

When we met for dinner later, I was astonished to see Miki outside of chi-blocking. She had taken down her sandy blond hair into beautiful curls and added makeup to her blue eyes, making them look brighter. She was also wearing clear glasses.

She didn't look out of place or sweaty, and was dressed in beautiful green and beige clothing. "You were born here in the Earth Kingdom, right?" I asked when she sat down.

Miki nodded, reaching for her fork so that she could start gnawing away at her— I almost did a double take. She had gotten the vegetarian alternative, something *nobody* gets at the academy. Partly because almost always vegetarians were air benders that didn't attend here, and partly because everyone liked meat too much. I crinkled my nose. "Yep." she replied earnestly. "My father and mother are both nonbenders, but my grandma and grandpa on my father's side are earthbenders."

"Wow," I exclaimed. In the back of my mind I realized that made her father an usual situation— two benders making a non bender? That was pretty rare. Usually regarded as a shame, but it wasn't like children were tossed into the trash when it happened. A lot of families moved past it and accepted it.

She gave me a knowing look. "My dad's the only non bender in a band of four brothers. Funnily enough, my mother's the only non bender out of three sisters. It makes them a good match."  
"But you could've been a bender easily then. I think you just got that unlucky gene." It slipped before I could stop it.

Miki raised an eyebrow. "Unlucky? Not really. I don't want to be an earth bender. They're raised to be stubborn and hard-headed. I'm soft hearted and can kick ass with my own two fists."

I smiled. "Definitely. So what do your parents do that they sent you here?" Non benders were only sent to the academy when they came from rich, important parents. I knew Miki would be no exception.

"My mother is a government official." She replied, again so earnestly that I felt less guilty about asking. She didn't ask me anything about myself. I took that as a sign she already knew exactly who I was.

While we lightly chatted about nonsense things and chi-blocking, I eventually finished my own meal and decided it was time to ask a real question. One I was dying to have answered. "So what do you think of the spirit classes here? And the Spirit World? Ever been?"

Miki shook her head. "No, I haven't. Not yet, anyway. I don't mind any of those classes to be honest. But I do know how you feel."

"You do?"

"Yes, it's obvious. Just because we don't talk doesn't mean I haven't been able to read your face and study your actions. We've been sparring partners for a while now." She pointed out with a laugh, pulling her blond curls to the side of her face. Wow, she was really pretty.

I almost blushed. "I just feel like I need something more than the academy sometimes. It sounds…impossible, I guess."

"No," she countered. "Not impossible." I raised my eyebrows. She was full of surprises today. "If you're unhappy then you try to fix it. I know about you, Takaani. I know you're not just another rogue student. You really do believe that you'd learn better by yourself."

I was taken aback. How did she know me so well? We weren't even friends! Suddenly, I grew suspicious. "How do you know all that?"

"Like I said, it's obvious. I'm good at reading people. I see you almost every day. You're rarely happy." Miki frowned. "I think life's too short to be unhappy."

I looked around the eating quarters nervously, shoving my tray aside. "I….I do think that, too. Which is why I'm trying to find a way out."

"Out?"

"Of the academy. For good. Run off..be by myself. Do some real soul searching. Really teach myself what it means to be close to the world." I sighed suddenly.

"How do you plan to manage that?" she looked at me seriously.

"I…I think I have a plan, but…I don't know. How much can I trust you?"

Miki shrugged. "You stood up for my sister. I at least owe you my honorable word."

That pleased me enough to actually tell her what I had planned so far. She raised her eyebrows but didn't object, and when I was done, she regarded me with admiration. "Wow," she mused. "That might work. Except one part."

"Which part?"

"The part where you get an air nomad to work with you."

Miki was right. Getting an air nomad like Kavi wasn't going to be easy. I had been trying to keep a watchful eye for him but he never really showed. He seemed to come and go like…well, like the wind. I knew he hadn't left the academy yet; in fact, he was set to leave in a couple days. I didn't know how many days that might be so it was crucial for me to find him.

When I did find him, he was out in one of the academy's yards, sitting crossed with his eyes closed. My stealthy footing didn't get the up on him, especially obvious when he greeted me before I had a chance to study what he was wearing up close. He was wearing one color, a light cream that was very similar to a dress if not for the fact that I could see he had dark orange pants underneath. "Hello Takaani."

"Hello," I said politely, sitting down across from him. "Mind if I join you?"

"Of course not." He smiled, opening his eyes and letting his blue gaze rest on me. "Come to meditate?"

I balked, and he laughed out loud. It was a low, throaty sound. Like he was whispering, even in his laughter. "Not exactly. Is that what you were doing?"

"Yes, I was trying to connect with someone at home."  
"A girlfriend?"

"No, my…teacher, of sorts. She's very busy and doesn't like to be bothered, but I tried anyway." Amusement flickered in his bright blue eyes. Probably from my girlfriend comment.

"Oh, I forgot. Your tattoos."  
"What about them?"

"Master airbenders refrain from anything serious until they're older, right? To refrain from distracting themselves from their classes."

"Ah," he laughed once more. "You do know about air nomads. More than you let on."

I smiled. "I did my research."

"Well, you're right in a way. But it's a choice. I mostly assist the elder nomads in teaching. I can have 'fun' if I'd wish."

Looking at Kavi, it was hard to believe he was only three years older than me. He had a very mature aura about him, but sometimes when he opened up I could see the young boy in him. "But you don't?" I guessed.

He shrugged, and waved his hand. When he did so a light breeze picked up around me, causing the runaway strands of my braid to flicker wildly. I smiled because it felt good on my heated skin. The sun really was killer in the Earth Kingdom, and I didn't know how Kavi could stand an almost bare head in the direct sunlight. Maybe he was used to it. "Oh, I do. I'm not really all that composed. I did get into trouble right before my master ceremony."

I jerked my back straighter, looking at him with my wide green eyes. "What!"

"Yep," he laughed. "My buddies and I broke into the sky bison barns and let all the babies loose to symbolize our adolescence."

There! I had been wanting — no, burning — to ask whether or not he had a sky bison. I desperately wanted him to. Oh please, please have your sky bison with you! "Sky bisons? Everyone has one, right?"

Kavi looked at me, shocked by my sudden seriousness. "Long ago they did. But not anymore. Why?"

"Oh. I was just wondering." Damn, I really thought they still gave them out like candy to each airbender. Perhaps I misjudged how many air benders there actually were at the temples. "How did you come here, then?"

"The same way as everyone— I took a ship to the Earth Kingdom, then a train here to Seishin."

I thought about that for a moment. Very carefully I lay back in the grass, consciously aware that I was going to have grass stains on my beige tank top. The academy did our laundry so it's not like I had to worry, but still. Above me the clouds were racing each other and I could feel Kavi inspecting me with his gaze. "I got thrown out of Spirit World Geography yesterday."  
"You did?" he mused.

"Yeah, for throwing a book at a girl and beating up a kid. I'm usually not this…tense. Believe it or not, I took after my non bender mom more than my bending one. She's so sophisticated and can think so strategically. I used to be like that. But not anymore. All I can think about now is fighting with my fists and letting my temper get out of hand. That's more like my mother at my age."

Kavi was very silent while I expressed myself. Not only did I hope my outburst of emotion would help me gain his trust and friendship, but I truly believed that by telling *someone* what I was feeling — well, maybe it'd help me calm down a bit. I knew my talent, I knew my skill. I knew that I could hurt people but I didn't want to at all. I wanted to be more cool and composed. I…I wanted to be like Kavi's aura.

"Do you think your problems with the academy are triggering you to lash out?" He was suddenly all business, the teacher side of him coming out to play.

I shrugged. "I don't know. What do you think?"

"I think," he said slowly, "that you should tell me everything."

"Everything?"

"Yes. I can..sense something about you, Takaani. Your unhappiness. The frustration. I only know what they say of you here." His eyes were gentle.

"What?" I hissed, sitting upright. What who says of me? The academy? He wouldn't actually believe that garbage, would he? "Seishin just talks about its students willingly now? What happened to confidentiality? I have a right to that. I'm over eighteen."

Kavi sighed, looking away from me to gaze at the horizon, far enough to where the land met the sky as one. "I did ask about you, I'll admit to that. I was very interested in your thoughts on spirits and the Spirit World. Air nomads are very well respected, you know that. Everyone does."

Wow. I should have felt violated, but I felt a little..blessed. The universe was literally dropping him on a silver platter for me. This is what I wanted, wasn't it? For Kavi to see how desperate I was to leave here? How it would help my sanity if I just achieved everything on my own?

"Nothing from the Counselor, of course. You're right, students have confidential records."

"So…what did you find out about me?" I was suddenly nervous.

His blue gaze rested on me, intensely challenging mine. "That you have a…lapse…of some sort a few years ago. That you've never been the same since."

I flushed, getting to my feet quickly. "You know what? I thought you'd help me, or talk me through this but I guess you're just the same. Calling what I've been through a 'lapse'. Typical. Maybe you're more a teacher than I thought." My words were bitter and harsh, trying to stir some sort of guilt trip in him.

Admittedly, Seishin had loose rules about teachers and students. Even though Kavi wasn't a teacher, there was nothing saying I couldn't talk to him in my free time and even eat lunch with him. Not that I was interested in Kavi — he was cute, but boys are not my type — but I supposed that the academy didn't think anyone would be hooking up in scandalous advisor x student relationships.

So, I wanted to be Kavi's friend. I wanted to talk to him, someone who lived outside of the academy and never had to attend it. I desperately wanted him to see the flaws in what they were making me do. I wasn't some whiny teenager — I was very skilled, and could be really useful out in the real world if only they'd let me. I could train to be a guard or train other chi-blockers.

But, a sad part of my heart reminded me, I also wanted to use him. The plan was this: I would gain Kavi's trust and friendship, so much to the point where I could convince him to sneak me out of the academy. He was leaving in a few days anyway so they would expect him to be leaving. I just needed his help. My "eviction" day was 2 weeks away — even less than since I made the list. It wasn't my eviction from the academy, it was my eviction from the Earth Kingdom. Yes, I wanted to be out of the Earth Kingdom in less than 2 weeks.

It was bold.

It was daring.

But, as Miki pointed out, not impossible.

"Takaani!" he pleaded, turning sharply to catch me storm past him. "I'm not trying to push you away. I think you're right."

"What?"

"I think you're right. I do think Seishin is wrong with their teachings." He stood to meet my eye level. Well, he was a lot taller, but you know. "You see, at home we allow students to will themselves as one with their elements. One with the wind. Even non benders are equally important with benders —they are called acolytes, I'm sure you know. They are just as powerful as us, maybe even more so. Here, it's easy to tell that non benders are not on quite the same…"

I stared at him with my eyebrows raised. I knew exactly what he was implying. I had just proved that for myself back in my Spirit World geography class. 'Barren' was tossed around like any other ordinary word. I think Kavi knew it too.

"So you want to change it?"

Kavi sighed. "I want to, I just don't know if it will change. I don't know how to change it."

"You said air nomads are highly respected, everyone knows that. When you bring up your concerns someone's got to take it seriously, right?" I thought aloud.

He shook his head. "No, I'm afraid not. All I can do is pass it along to an elder nomad and they will take it upon themselves to intervene or not."

"Like your teacher?"

Kavi suddenly got stiff and uncomfortable. "Maybe." he said finally after several seconds of silence. I decided not to press it.

"Okay, well..hmm.." I put a hand to my chin, and Kavi looked at me expectantly. I swallowed a lump in my throat and looked around us in nervousness. He noticed my concern and checked around for himself, coming up exactly as I had. Nobody was around. My voice was barely a whisper, "Well…what if…you brought along a student to testify? To ask your elders for help? To say that the academy is breaking their spirituality, not helping it?"

There was no way in hell I was going to the air temples. No way in hell. But I had to lie to Kavi, just so he could get me out the academy. Then I could ditch him and leave it at that. But would he believe me?

His eyes blazed. "You want to lie to the elders?"  
"It's not a lie. Seishin destroys it every day that I'm here." I said stiffly. I guess there was truth and honor laced in my words, because Kavi regarded me thoughtfully and, suddenly, understanding.

"Wait, take *you* from the academy? Seishin would never let you leave."

"I…I wouldn't *leave* exactly." I said very slowly, never taking my eyes off his. "I would break out. And I'd..I'd need your help to do it."


	4. Chapter 4

Kavi's face regarded me somewhat suspiciously as the words left my mouth. He did not speak for several moments, only turned his head to the sky and closed his eyes. That desperate look to him when I had been leaving seemed long gone, replaced by a peaceful need to react to what I had just proposed.

"Well, Takaani." He said finally, opening his eyes. "How do you suppose I can get you out if you don't plan on leaving with permission?"

I cleared my throat and shrugged nervously. "Um…well…I've been here for years, now. I understand what times the guards switch, and I know where they place each of the water, earth, and chi-blocking guards. It'll be too easy to sneak up on them and temporarily knock them out."

Kavi stared at me with a bit of amusement, though I did see hesitation as he processed my words. "Attack the guards?" I hoped, at this point, he wasn't planning on selling me out. This was too easy for him to fish me out for details and report me with enough evidence to get me expelled. What did he owe Seishin? Nothing. Why would helping me hurt him in any way?

"You don't have to," I hurriedly added. "I just need you to distract them until I get the hit on them. If I get caught, you can say that you tried to stop me from escaping. I'll take the repercussions. I swear to it." My brow set into a hard, determined line.

The airbender still seemed unconvinced that it could work. "Why not use another student?"

Now it was I who seemed unsure and suspicious. "Involve another student? No way. This is my doing, not theirs. I'm only asking you because you're an authority figure here."

"I'm a guest, not an authority."

"You know what I mean. I just…Kavi, I need to leave here and discover myself. I can't stay here with the looks and the accusations and the insults." I was almost pleading. "I *want* this academy to change. I want others to be happy, too. But I have three long, long years left."

"And you think the elder nomads at the temples will help?"

"Don't you? You know them, not me."

"I suppose…"

"Well, don't think of it right away! Take time. When do you leave again?"

"Two days. Around eight in the morning."

"Okay," I breathed a sigh of relief. Two days. "I'll get everything ready and…and if you want to help me, then meet me outside the dinner quarters at 6. If you don't show up I'll assume your answer is no. But if you do…then we'll get the plan rolling. Deal?"

Kavi squinted at me, again looking at me like I was fuzzy or hard for him to read. It made me feel exposed and vulnerable but I allowed it to happen. I needed him to say yes to this plan. Luckily, he agreed, and I was sent back to my dorm with a stomach so knotted with anxiety I almost puked.

My brain thought back to Miki, and how she said it would be hard to get an air nomad to work with me. I think the closeness of the age gap between Kavi and I allowed him to understand my concerns. I wondered if the air nomads at the temple would approve of me breaking out Seishin; Kavi did not seem worried about it, so I suppose the temples really were their own separate world.

Not like I was going to the temples anyway. As much as I wanted to make it seem like I was willing to change the academy, I just wanted to change myself. I wanted the opportunity to expand my wings and grow, to let my spirit touch the planet in ways a room with four walls and syllabus couldn't. Going to the temples was too risky— someone would likely recognize me and report me. I had to leave the Earth Kingdom and keep moving for as long as I could and discover as much as I could.

Later in my dorm, I sat on my bed with a racing heart. The moonlight was pouring into my room and I felt the sudden urge to draw power from it. Shaking that away, I watched the dust particles dancing in the light and thought about how close I was to making it out of here. All I really, honest to god needed was Kavi's help leaving. He would be my distraction, lead me away from the academy, and then I'd have to ditch him. It wouldn't be easy, but I had to, and therefore I would.

I knew I should have been sleeping; eventually I gave up and took a shower. The water passed down over my hard body and I could almost moan at the thought of cleansing away anything that bothered me. I was so at home around water. My mothers had raised me in the Northern Water Tribe, despite the fact that one of them was from the Southern one. I had been told once that the Northern tribe had denied women the opportunity to waterbend— that rule had long since been rewritten and a woman was now their chief. Growing up there was so much fun, I learned so much from the people around me. The elders, the children, the adults… Then, when I was fifteen, both of my mothers decided I would need the assistance of the academy as I got older. I did not mind it at first.

There I was, a fifteen year old girl with shy eyes and shaking hands. I did what I was told. Like all young kids, I grew into myself as I aged. I got harder, leaner, and more skilled. When I was fifteen I was capable of kicking butt — now, by nineteen, I was capable of taking a life with my own two hands. Both of my mothers were badasses, I'd heard stories of them when they were my age and when they were a bit older. Together they were a dynamite duo, knocking down any sort of prejudice that told them they couldn't be who they were or do what they could. I admired them so much for it. Deep in my heart, I could not resent either of my parents for sending me away. At the time it seemed like the right thing to do. I resented them because they never visited, too caught up in their own lives to even visit me in the Earth Kingdom.

Granted they were both busy. My non-bending mother was probably running her business. Yeah, she's a CEO, but even more than your regular CEO. She basically controls the world, having received many different opportunities to engineer the nations and help advance their technology. Her (and mine too) lineage stemmed from the fire nation, and they agreed to let her assist their own attempts to make their industrialization more modern. My mother loved the fire nation, and was close friends with their firelord, Iroh. When Firelord Izumi retired, he was the one to take his place on the throne. He was a cool guy. And, I have to admit, extremely good looking. Firelord Iroh had a intense military background which gave him insight over his soldiers. Despite his royal leadership he still worked alongside his men and women.

My water bending mother was…complicated. I had no idea where she was. She could be anywhere— back in the Northern or Southern Water Tribe, in the Fire Nation, at the temples, or even in the Earth Kingdom. She liked to hover around Republic City a lot, but that was not too far from Seishin. I knew if she was in Republic City she would definitely have visited. So maybe she was in the Spirit World. Who knows.

When I was done showering I crawled back into bed with wet hair and just a baggy t-shirt. Snuggled under the moonlight I willed myself to sleep without wasting time on Kavi. I had to remind myself that other people's choices were not in my control. I would just have to find another way to leave the academy without his help.

The next morning I decided to put my hair up in a tight bun instead of braiding it like I usually did. Always braiding my hair left a permanent wave to it, and it was painfully obvious that not every strand was going to stay tight in my bun. As the day progressed I found myself having more of a messy up-do. Miki joined me during lunch — surprising, since we didn't have chi-blocking today — and babbled on about how her sister had taken it upon herself to fight one of her friends. "That's probably your doing," she laughed.

I smiled. "Yeah, sorry. If I knew she'd follow my lead and start throwing punches…"

"It's okay. Did you talk to you-know-why?" Her blue eyes glanced around anxiously before resting back on me. She had pulled her blond hair back, like I was used to. Her face was bare except for her clear, square glasses.

"Yes," I began, stuffing a piece of bread into my mouth. I spoke around it, glad that Miki didn't think I was ill-mannered for doing so. "He..didn't exactly say no, but he didn't agree either." I filled her in on my story, and she raised her eyebrows in surprise.

"You think you can ditch him?"

"I have to, don't I? I'm not going to the temples. No way, I know people there. Someone will recognize me and drag me right back."

Miki thought and spoke carefully. "Won't everyone recognize you, though? Not in the way you and I are thinking of. But.. they are bound to plaster your face all over the Earth Kingdom if they think you went missing mysteriously."

Wow, she was right. I had thought that I would just keep moving and avoid humans, but you did have to pass guards from town to town. "I guess I'll worry about that when the time comes." It was all I could muster.

"If you do leave the Earth Kingdom, where will you go?"

"I don't know yet. I've never been to the Fire Nation. Maybe I'll go there. They're spiritual."

Miki pressed her lips tightly together. I could guess what she was thinking; that the Fire Nation were spiritual, but not nearly as much as the Air Nomads. They would still attack or arrest me if they had suspicions. Unlike Airbenders, they were not afraid to resort to violence. "I suppose so," she said at last. "I've never been there, either. So tomorrow morning Kavi is supposed to meet you?"

"Yep. I'm nervous. I don't know if he will help me or not."

"He has to! You're a gorgeous girl in distress. What crazy guy wouldn't?" She flashed me a wide grin. I suddenly blushed at her compliment, almost certain she didn't realize it made me a bit flustered.

"You haven't seen him today, have you?"

"Nope. I've only seen him hover around Counselor's office when I drop off the morning report for Advisor Beilara. But he wasn't there today. Probably stuck in his quarters thinking about what the right thing to do is."

"The right thing to do? Then I'm fucked." I bit off another piece of bread ravenously, pitifully.  
Miki smiled warmly. "Who knows what the right thing to do here is. Everyone has a different idea of right and wrong. For instance…I think you shouldn't curse with advisors nearby." Her baby blue's flickered to where a few teachers were standing, watching us eat lunch. "But you clearly don't think that's right."

I laughed, swallowing my bread. Picking up my tray, I shook my head. Before I could walk away Miki suddenly realized something and frowned deeply. "If you go, you'll miss our chi-blocking class!"

I glanced back at her and frowned back, turning quick enough so she wouldn't guilt trip me into staying. Not like I thought she would, but the look on her face was enough for me to reconsider. I really liked Miki, and I was sorry to actually leave her behind now that we were, well, friends. I sighed. "Yeah, I will."

And I walked away.


	5. Chapter 5

I was disgustingly anxious the rest of the day. My nail beds had been bitten down raw — not like they were rather long to begin with, but the idea was that I was seriously stressed. Each class I attended I was convinced guards were going to come in and take me away. Every time my advisors' looked at me I felt as though I could see the judgment in their eyes; they had to know what I was planning. I was an idiot to believe that Kavi would ever take my side. He was a master airbender for fucking sake- why the hell would he take my side in this?

As I stared at my dinner, I knew the answer: Because he knew this academy was as fucked up as I did. I could see it in his eyes, and the way we sat across from each other in the field. I could see his blue gaze resting on me, looking through me in a way that only an airbender could. They were so mysterious, airbenders. The way they knew what you were about before you did. The way they could read you- your skin, your face, your aura, your soul. He had to know that what I was doing was real. I had real fucking problems, ones that nobody could help me with.

I used to vision myself as a mirror of my mothers, a combination of their skills and knowledge. But when I looked into that mirror of myself, recently, all I could see were the horrible, jagged cracks where I had lost who I had become. I'm so, so young. Yet I have so much knowledge inside of me, so much knowing that society has placed on me. They think they can help me, but I can only help myself. I want to. Oh, I want to. The academy suffocates me by the minute like an airbender could; I think the death would be quicker at their hands.

I ate my dinner suddenly with greed, knowing damn well that this could be my last academy dish for a long, long time. For ever, maybe. I hadn't considered what I'd do for food on the run, and the thought occurring to me now was kind of frightening. I glanced up at the prepared dishes area and wondered whether I should try to smuggle something to my room to wrap. Before I could decide, though, a flash of orange in my peripheral vision caught my attention.

It was Kavi.

And he wasn't looking at me.

I focused on the back of his buzzed head as he seemed to glide across the eating quarters before he pushed his way out of a set of double doors to the south of the room. After waiting several minutes, I dumped the last of my dinner and made that way by myself. So much for eating whatever I could. Kavi was gone when I pushed through the doors, leading into a small lounge room that people liked to hang out in when they were done with their food. Did I imagine him coming in here? Was I that fucked up in the head now that I was imagining people?

"Takaani," A voice greeted me. I looked to my right and cursed myself for being so naive - so comfortable - so as not to check my surroundings immediately. The look on Kavi's face told me he was thinking the same thing. He had been leaning up against the wall, having a clear visual of anyone coming toward the doors behind us.

"What gives? No sitting with me anymore?"

"I can't raise any suspicion." He frowned warily. He was wearing something less traditional than I would have thought he'd be wearing: a simple pale orange shirt and dark brown pants. "If someone thinks we're friends...well, when you go missing it won't be a secret who took you."

I ignored his comment and decided to focus on something less obvious, like his outfit. But not before I stalked over to the cushioned chairs and sat down in one. "That doesn't look very...air temple to me."

"And you're an expert on those matters?" Kavi teased. I noticed a playful glint to his baby blue eyes. I silently thanked myself for not being into guys or else I'd definitely be mush around him. Those eyes were stunning, like nothing you saw in the Earth Kingdom. I suddenly thought about Miki and her blue eyes, and how she was an Earth Kingdom native. So, they were rare but not impossible, I supposed.

"Well, actually..." I tilted my head, letting my dark hair fall around my face. "No, you're right. I'm not. But you're a monk, are you not? Monks don't typically wear sweaters and cargos."

"This is *not* a sweater. It was made by acolytes. And my pants are not cargo pants, they are lightweight for a reason. It helps with airbending." He turned to look out of the small, square window on the door. When he turned back to me, I concluded that we must be safe. For now.

"So, anything you want to tell me?" I asked.

"Well, yes. I've decided to take up your offer."

My heart started to beat uncontrollably , and I waited several moments before speaking again. "I told you to make up your mind tomorrow morning. Not today."

"I know, I know." He held his long, smooth hands up. "But I can't deny the chance to help this academy. I feel as an airbender it is my duty to help what has gone wrong here. The Earth Kingdom has always been strong. Defensive. Connected only to this world. It is time they expand, and accept that this era moves us into a spiritual one."

His words were so rehearsed, I almost felt like he was pulling a fast one on me. "How can I be so sure you're willing to help me?"

Kavi seemed taken aback by my accusation, but recovered quickly. "You can't. I'll meet you tomorrow morning where I promised." He leaned away from the wall and pushed the door open, not bothering to turn back toward me while he did so. "Tomorrow morning, then. Like we planned."

He left me feeling somewhat confused. How had he come to a decision so quickly? Was breaking a student out of a prestigious, spirit academy that alluring? There was only one person I could talk this out with, and I found her studying by herself in one of the study lounges similar to the one Kavi and I had spoke in. Her hair was pulled back like I was used to, focused and nose deep in a book about chi-blocking. Did she really study chi-blocking? I was a bit naive to think that everyone could be as naturally gifted as me.

"Miki." I greeted, sliding into the arm chair beside her. She did not jump when I said her name so suddenly— and that was the thing about chi-blockers here at the academy. We were so in sync with our surroundings it was almost disgusting, which is why I was a bit ashamed to not have noticed Kavi's immediate presence before. Miki was so good, I had no doubt she heard my footsteps outside the door. If she was really good, she could detect what my gender and estimated sizing was by the sound.

"Yes? What's wrong?" Miki looked up, closing her book quickly. I noticed that she liked to dog ear her pages.  
"Kavi…" I began, then bit my lip.

Miki took this as a bad sign. "He said no, didn't he? Takaani, you know, if you really think this will help you I can-"

"No, no," I interrupted before she could even think of involving herself in my fucked up shenanigans. "He said yes. That's the thing. He agreed. After one day? There's something wrong here. I need a smart brain like yours to help me figure out why, exactly."

"And you're not smart?"

"I am, but it helps to have back up, you know?"

"Well…" She reached up to push back a stray blond lock. "This is quite sudden. I wonder if he had serious intentions to take down the academy in another way. You did say he was doing investigation work here in the first place. Perhaps he's decided that he'd like to take matters in his own hands and use you for his own benefit."

Wow. That was quite the accusation, and I felt bad for Kavi. "What, use me?"

She nodded. "Yes…you made him a deal, right?"

"That I would go to his air temple, yes."  
"His advisors would likely give him some kind of bonus for such serious information on an Earth Kingdom academy," she pointed out ruefully. "The Earth Kingdom never really got over their land being stolen by the Avatar. The last air Avatar, too."

"Avatar Aang." I agreed. Well, that was plausible. But I knew Airbenders personally, and I knew that they were not vengeful creatures with a need for information on the other regions of the world. The air nomads did not hire, or condone, spies. "I'm not going to his temple, though."  
"Right. But Kavi doesn't know that, does he? Perhaps he thinks that bailing you out will make him look like a hero. He does sort of look like the hero type."

I eyed her curiously. "So you've seen him recently?"

"Yes. After we spoke, I saw him walking toward one of the fields. Probably to pray. He's quite cute."

A flicker of…something…sparked in me, and I felt like asking Miki about this might've not been the best idea after all. "Alright, well, thanks for your help." I stood.

Miki reached out to grab my arm. "Takaani, where are you going? What are you going to do?"

I sat back down and sighed. "I don't know. I just don't know. I'm so stressed out, and I'm so fucking nervous. Should I leave? Should I do this? There will be no going back for me. They won't ever let me come back here, are you kidding? Do you even know who I am?" I rested my green gaze on her and saw the pity, and small admiration, in her eyes.

"Yes," she said softly. "I know who you are. And you know who you are. You have a sense of self I could only ever dream to have. You know what you need to do. So do it."

Her arm was still on mine, and I figured I should pull away. So I did, because there was no way I could build this great friendship and trust with someone only to ditch them the very next day. It wasn't fair. Of course I'd befriend someone totally gorgeous and badass; my sparring partner for several months before I even gave her a second glance. "I'll never come back," I said hoarsely.

"Yes, you will. But it'll be for the better. And…well," she suddenly blushed, filling her fair skin with a rosy coloring that complimented her eyes.

"What?"

"I got in contact with my mom. I told her I might need some passes out of the Earth Kingdom, because I volunteered for a trip. But I also told her that I probably wouldn't get 'chosen' for this trip. She sent me the pass anyway." Miki reached down on the other side of her arm chair and revealed a perfectly square rock, likely formed by earthbending. It was painted and engraved with the official Earth Kingdom seal. Mimi's mother worked for the Earth Kingdom government, newly formed years ago after the monarchy had been ended by Prince Wu. I didn't realize her connection was so great, but that was what you got when you became friends with non-benders at Seishin. Anyone that didn't have bending had connections.

"Miki!" I gasped, reaching forward to grab the pass. "Oh, shit. You shouldn't have. Now you're an accomplice."

Miki fixed her ponytail and grinned, her cheeks still pink and her face bashful. "I was an accomplice the moment you told me your plan. It's all good. You will have trouble getting by undetected though. Maybe cutting your hair will do the trick."

"No way in hell!" I hissed. "My hair is my…well, you're right. It's my identifier."

"Right. So…" She reached down again and revealed something I didn't expect: a bottle. Inside of it was a swirl of white and blond liquid, almost like liquid gold.

"Shampoo?" I guessed as she handed it to me. I twirled it around in my fingers.  
"Almost. It's hair dye."

My eyebrows raised. "You dye your hair?"

"Me?" She seemed actually hurt at my assumption. Miki snorted. "No. My blond hair is all natural. I can't help it that my sister wants to be my carbon copy."  
"So, dye my hair and hope for the best?"

"That's the plan. It's not permanent dye. My sister uses it to touch up her roots. I'm not sure how well it'll work on your dark brown. I think you're supposed to whiten your hair and then dye it blond. At best it'll probably give you some golden streaks. But that should do it, right?"

I felt grateful for Miki's gifts, suddenly realizing that it was way too much for someone that was a new friend. "Oh, you really shouldn't have done this for me. What can I do in return?"

She shrugged and reopened her book, her dazzling white smile making me smile as well. My sparring partner drew her knees to her chest and lounged out on her chair, shaking her head. "Get far away from here as you can and not get caught."

Miki had informed me that the dye wasn't permanent, but she didn't exactly know how long it would last. Apparently with average showering not very long, but I had no way of knowing how much access to clean water I would have. So, yes, that left me feeling as though I would have to get used to being dirty and unclean.

That night I packed a bag to sling across my back. I grabbed anything lightweight and necessary I could think of, only coming up with the realization that the academy always provided me with anything I needed. I took what I believed to be the essentials, and then tried to work on what I would wear for my getaway. It would be too obvious if I were in my traditional water tribe clothing, so I sadly parted with my familiar animal-skin and blue-stained wardrobe. I pulled out a dark tan tank top and tight stretchy pants that stopped at my shin. Sleeping in my escape clothes would be the best plan, but I wasn't always the best at following orders; even my own orders.

I slept in soft, silky pajamas that my mother had sent to me through her company. Our family logo had been embroidered across my left breast, as well as my initials: TS. I snuggled into my neatly made bed and decided that I was out of my fucking mind. I was giving up soft pajamas, a warm bed, food, and friendship for the unknown. If it wasn't for the clenching in my heart that told me this was the right thing to do, I would not have the courage to do such a thing like this.

There was something wrong with Seishin academy. When I had first arrived, I was eager to learn and excited to live in the Earth Kingdom. Their lessons had been boring then, as they are now, but I was young and naive. I hadn't the intelligence to be able to look past and see what I truly should have seen the moment I arrived. There was a simple fact of Seishin, the unspoken rule that benders dominated. It was a society that reflected the outside world, where non-benders were called barrens left and right. Some non-benders had the same amount of power over themselves as slaves did. While I certainly did not believe that the non-benders at the academy were being set up as slaves, I had forgotten that most non-benders were members of prestigious bending (or non-bending) families.

The non-benders that were not? They would never attend the academy, promised good careers as skilled chi-blocking guards. So where did they go? They were wandering souls, horribly mistreated and placed second-best to benders. The thought of it made me sick; I wanted to run away from all of this, from all of society's unspoken rules.  
Staying asleep was difficult. My sleep was not deep enough to dream, and all I could do was slowly come back to waking life every 15 minutes and think more about what I was doing. I had packed my bag with any money I had, including the passes that Miki had given me. I included a notebook and pens to write if I needed to, preparing myself to be awfully lonely on my trip.

I hated to accept the idea of loneliness. I had no idea where I was going to go, or do, but I knew that it would be almost unbearable to be alone. I was not an expert skill survivor and, by this time tomorrow, I would be considered a wanted person. There would be search parties. My face plastered all over the Earth Kingdom.

My heart began to race, so I turned onto my side and tried to will back sleep. I needed to escape reality for a few more seconds, all the while savoring the soft silk against my skin. I would miss this part of my life; not the classes, or people, or food — no, I would miss the comfort. The warm blankets that replaced a warm body.

My eyes closed.

When I reopened them, I was sure that only five minutes had passed since I was last awake. But when I turned my head I saw that morning was beginning to break through my window. I leapt out of bed and pulled on the tank top and black pants I had laid out before. Not bothering to make my bed neat or fold my pajamas, I took a last look at my room and ran through my mental checklist one by one. Outfit, soap, notebooks, passes, hair brush, hair ties…

Satisfied, I crept out into the hallway with my bag across my back.

It was silent.

Guards liked to patrol during the early mornings before classes began, and I had no doubt in my mind that they were out and about at this time. I headed through the hallways, thanking my chi-blocking training for giving me the ability to walk so silently. Guards, of course, had similar training depending upon whether they were chi-blockers or benders.

There was still no sign of any guards as I made my way across the academy toward the eating quarters. In fact, I started to believe that they really weren't out at all; maybe it was another of Seishin's lies to keep students from acting out. My eyes were heavy from the need of sleep but I forced my mind to stay alert. This was no time to give into physical demands.

When the eating quarters entrance came into sight, my heart started to pound. I could feel the sweat pooling down my back with nervousness; I knew from experience that my tan tank top would have obvious sweat stains. As I got closer, though, I could sense something was terribly wrong.

There was nobody here.

Nobody.

Not even the one person that was supposed to be.

Kavi.

I peaked into the eating quarters and noted that they were vacant as well. I started to hyperventilate. Now what? Head back to my dorm with pack in tow? He didn't fucking show up. He didn't fucking take my offer. He *lied*. He had to of, he had to have lied to me about this. My mind started to spin and I felt my hands shake. I was a fool to trust an airbender! I was a fool to trust anyone.

Trusting someone just gave them power over you. I should have known better than to give someone else that power.

No. I wouldn't go back to my dorm. How could I? This was what I wanted. I had everything. I didn't need Kavi's help; I don't take help from liars.

I turned quickly and decided to head toward one of Seishin's classrooms. With Kavi I had intended to break through the front entrance, but without him, I was stuck to doing this prisoner-style. I would have to—

Someone turned the corner and stepped out in front of me.

For a split second, my heart soared. He wasn't a liar, he was simply late!

"Kavi—" I began, then choked on my words.

It wasn't Kavi.

In front of me was a guard.


End file.
